Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE’s Mighty Warriors will have to promptly get down to serious business following yesterday’s draw for the African women’s football qualifiers leading to the Los Angeles Olympics 2028.
The Mighty Warriors have been drawn against COSAFA rivals Malawi in the second round of the two-legged African qualifiers tie scheduled for October 5-23.
This comes after they were handed a first-round bye in the draw conducted at CAF’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt yesterday.
The six lowest-ranked African teams, according to the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings — Sudan, Mauritius, Djibouti, South Sudan, Madagascar and Comoros — will enter the competition in the first round, which kicks off during the June international window.
From the six nations, the three winners will join 29 exempted teams, including Zimbabwe in the second round.
Should the Mighty Warriors progress beyond the second round, they will play either Kenya or Seychelles in the third round of 16 teams.
Mighty Warriors coach Sithethelelwe Sibanda has welcomed the draw which she felt will be “a reasonable assignment, which, however, needs timely and thorough preparations.”
“Malawi is a team we are very familiar with, and the history between us is not bad which gives us a starting point as we build up,” Sibanda said.
“However, what makes this whole situation tricky is that they will be just as determined as we are, we played them in the Three Nations Tournament in their backyard last November and won.
“As a result, we have confidence coming into the qualifiers but this is a qualifier, and it will demand even more from us.”
Sibanda emphasised continuity, discipline and consistency from her team.
Following a modest outing at the COSAFA Cup earlier in the year, she said tournaments are often determined by small details; hence, the need for adequate preparations.
The COSAFA Cup also came as a platform for “Kwinji 15” as the coach is known to lay a foundation for the future.
Sibanda took advantage of the tournament and gave at least five rookies some exposure, preparing them for the qualifiers and beyond.
Bethel Kondo, Mcgirl Sipini and Anita Ncube played a key role in the team’s overall performance, giving Sibanda confidence in her future Mighty Warriors project.
The coach said having a huge pool of players available for Mighty Warriors selection plays a huge role in creating healthy competition within camp.
“After COSAFA we have a firm foundation to build on, so now we just need to be as organised as we were at the tournament and maintain focus,” she said.
“We have good depth in our team; credit to the ongoing revival of development structures which go a long way in strengthening the national teams.”
Looking ahead, Sibanda called on supporters to rally behind the Mighty Warriors as they pursue what could be a historic Olympic qualification.
“We believe in what we are building. With the support of the nation, we are confident we can take this next step,” added Sibanda.
“The COSAFA tournament was an important step for us, we showed improvement in our structure, game management, and mentality.
“Now the goal is to build on that and be even better in the qualifiers.”
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe are among the 35 African Nations set to battle for the two available Olympics’ slots for the continent.
The Mighty Warriors are currently the only Zimbabwean football team to have featured at the Olympics, after marking a historic debut in 2016 in Brazil.
In fact, they are only the second team sport after the 1980 Hockey side that won gold in Moscow, Russia, to represent Zimbabwe at the Olympics.
